Box-fastener



"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC EPHRAIM H. FENTON, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

-BOX-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,688, dated March 3, 1896.

Application filed August 10,1896. Serial No. 558,918. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EPHRAIM H. FENTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boltwork for Adjustable Covers to Egg-Boxes and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to obtain an increased power to throw the bolt and simultaneously lock the same in position; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, such as will be first fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a broken plan view of an egg-case and its adjustable cover, showing the improved boltwork applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a broken vertical sectional view of the egg-case and cover, taken upon the line 0: 0c of Fig. 1, showing the rock -shaft hanger and operatin g-lever in section. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing an alternate construction of boltwork. Fig. 4 is alongitudinal sectional view of the hanger and cam as seen in Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. I

' Referring to the drawings, A represents an egg-case for the transportation of eggs, which is of the usual construction. The adjustable cover B is fitted to the inner sides of the case A, so as to be readily moved in position without binding.

To the upper side of the cover B is attached a cleat b, which extends along one edge of the cover adjacent to the inner side of the box. Parallel with cleat b and to the top of said cover, near the opposite side of said box, is attached a cleat b. At a point equidistant from the cleats b b and to the upper side of the cover B is secured by screws 0 c a shafthanger O, in which is a transverse rock-shaft d. To one end of shaft cl, on one side of hanger G, is attached eccentrically acircular plate d, and to the other end of said shaft is attached eccentrically a circular plate 61 the eccentric portion of the plate cl extending in one direction and the eccentricportion of the plate (1 in the opposite direction.

At one end of the base of the hanger G, which is secured flatwise to the upper portion of the cover B, and extending at right angles therefrom near the screw 0, is a spring bearing or guide a, at the outer end of which is a nib 0 At the other end of the base of hanger O and on the other side from that having the spring-bearing c are a bearing 0 and nib 0 which are precisely the same as the bearing 0 and nib 0 Upon the bearing 0 within the nib c? is. placed one end of a fiat spring E, the other end of which spring extends parallel with the hanger G and in the direction of the other end of the portion of the base of hanger O and a short distance beyond said end portion, and is secured by the nail e to the upper side of said top'B of the box. On the other side of the hanger O is a fiat spring E, one end of which is supported upon the bearing 0 and the other end extends parallel with said hanger and the corresponding distance beyond the end of said hanger and is secured to the upper side of the cover B in the same manner as described of the spring E.

F represents one of the bolt-rods, which consists of a single piece of stout wire, one end of which is chisel-pointed, as at f and extends through a transverse perforation b made in the cleat 1) near the upper surface of the top B of the box. The other end of the wire is extended in the direction of the under-side portion of eccentric (Z and nearly to said eccentric-plate thence bent at f at right angles in an upward direction and over the outer edge of said plate, terminating near the angle f and forming a loop f. In the cleat b is an opening I)", through which is inserted one end of a bolt-rod F, which end is provided with a sharp chisel edge f". The other end of said bolt is extended inthe direction of the underside portion of the eccentric-plate d and at a point near thereto is bent over the circular edge of said plate in the same manner as described of the bolt-rod F, forming a loop f which bolts F F yield slightly when the boltrod meets with resistance.

G is the operating-lever, which consists of the handle g, which is bent or curved upwardly, so as to be readily seized by the hand, and the forked portions g 9 which are conneeted rigidly with the respective ends of the rock-shaft d on opposite sides of the hanger C and with the handle 9 a considerable distance from said bracket, so as to avoid contact with the hanger in the reversal of position. The forked end 9 is also extended from rock-shaft d a considerable distance in the same direction, corresponding to the distance between said shaft and the spring-plate E at a depressed point, the upper and lower edges of which end g are inclined at an angle from said handle 9 upwardly and outwardlyin one direction, and in the direction of the top B of the case in the other, the lower end of which extended portion of said forked end is curved so as to form a cam The other forked end, 9 is precisely the same as the end g and is provided with a cam g, which is the same as cam g, it being observed that the inclined edge of each forked end at its junction with the cam, is pointed and bears directly on the respective spring-plates.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modification of the invention, and in place of the springs E E, I employ but one spring II, which is fitted in the slot h in the base of the hanger II, and supported at each end by an inclined seat at each end of the hanger. On the rock-shaft I is a cam i, which comes into contact with and depresses the spring 11, and by it the cam is retarded in movement. The forked end of the handle K is also forked at 71: the portion k being directly attached to the rockshaft and the portion 76 having a loop 76", which extends to a point in line with the rockshaft. The other forked end of the handle K is also forked in the same manner as the end k, the loop 70 being extended, however, past the line of the rock-shaft a short distance, and performs the same duty as the eecentric-plates in Figs. 1 and 2. The boltrods in this construction I prefer to make from a single wire of suitable length, which is bent at a point equidistant from each end to form a loop, which also embraces the loop k on the forked end of the handle K, and the two ends placed in a parallel position and twisted together to a point a short distance from the cleat, at which point the ends are divided and bent outwardly at an angle to the main portion of the twisted wire, and again in the direction of the cleat and through suitable perforations, as described, of the bolt F.

In the operation of niyinvention the cover 13 is first adjusted to position at the desired height from the bottom of the box and the lever-handle operated to throw the bolt-rods within the surface of the inner side of the box, and the cover is secured in that position.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the handle 9 is hearing firmly upon the upper side of the cover B and locked automatically in that position by the pointed end of the cams g 9 In order to release the boltwork the handle 9 of the lever is seized by the hand and reversed in position, as seen in dotted lines, which operates the rock-shaft and partially rotates the eccentrics in the loops f f and the bolt-rods F F are withdrawn from the sides of the box within the openings in the cleats b b. In operating the lever G, I am enabled to force the bolt-rods within the hard variety of wood with but little resistance. This resistance, however, being thrown on the loops of the bolts, which yield, prevents the breaking of the bolt-rods under the strain. In the reversal of the lever G, in Fig. 1, the cams g 9 which are controlled by the springs E E, opcrate to equalize the outward thrust when power is applied to the rock-shaft. In Fig. 3 this is accomplished by the spring II and the bearing outward.

Having fully described my invention, what I now claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In boltwork for the adjustable cover to egg-boxes the combination with said cover of a shaft-hanger a rock-shaft circular plates connected eccentrically with said rock-shaft and having the eccentric portions extending in opposite directions, an operating-lever having forked ends connected with said rockshaft, oppositely-movable bolt-rods in suitable guides on said cover having an engagin g point at their outer end and a loop adapted to yield 011 the inner end of said rods extending over said eccentric-plates as and for the purpose described.

2. In boltwork for the adjustable cover to egg-boxes the combination with said cover of a shaft-hanger a rock-shaft circular plates connected eccentrically with said shaft and having the eccentric portions extending in opposite directions oppositely-movable boltrods in suitable guides on said cover having loopsadapted to yield upon their inner ends extending over said eccentric-plates, a spring on said hanger supported at each end and an operating-lever having a forked portion connected with said rock-shaft and an extension of said forked portion having a cam bearing upon the said spring whereby the upward movement of the free end of the lever is re tarded, as described.

EPHRAIM ll. FENTON.

Vitnesses S. L. C. IIASSON, D. M. HACKMAN. 

